Systems and Methods for Controlling Multiple Displays With Single Controller and Haptic Enabled User Interface

ABSTRACT

A method includes displaying information via a first display, displaying information via a second display, controlling the information displayed via the first display and the second display with a controller, and receiving a first input from a user through a user interface. The first input includes a command to change a setting of the first display or the second display and/or the information being displayed via the first display or the second display. The method also includes generating a first haptic effect to confirm receipt of the first input.

FIELD

The present invention is related to systems and methods for controllingmultiple displays with a single controller and a haptic enabled userinterface.

BACKGROUND

Many types of vehicles on the market today include multiple displays atdifferent locations. For example, a display may be located at the centerstack, another display may be located in the dashboard or instrumentcluster, and a heads-up display (HUD) may be located so that an image isdisplayed on the windshield in the driver's peripheral vision.Currently, each of these displays has its own dedicated controller or nocontroller such that the display may only be turned on or off. Beingable to control and interact with all of the displays with a singlecontroller and a single user interface may increase usability of thedisplays while reducing cost and space, and may also allow for totallynew graphic user interface (GUI) designs that use all of the differenttypes of displays.

SUMMARY

It is desirable to have a single controller that can control all of thedisplays in a vehicle. It is also desirable to provide the driver of thevehicle with haptic feedback as the driver is manipulating thecontroller to switch active control between the different displays sothat the driver does not have to take his or her eyes off of the roadwhile providing input to the controller.

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a method thatincludes displaying information via a first display, displayinginformation via a second display, controlling the information displayedvia the first display and the second display with a controller,receiving a first input from a user through a user interface, the inputcomprising a command to change a setting of the first display or thesecond display and/or the information being displayed via the firstdisplay or the second display, and generating a first haptic effect toconfirm receipt of the first input.

In an embodiment, the method also includes receiving a second input fromthe user through a display control selector to select which of the firstdisplay and the second display is being controlled by the user, andassociating the first input received from the user through the userinterface with the first display or the second display selected by theuser through the display selection device. In an embodiment, the methodalso includes changing the haptic effect based on the selection of whichof the first display and the second display is being controlled by theuser.

In an embodiment, the method also includes generating a second hapticeffect at the user interface prior to receiving the first input, thesecond haptic effect providing an indication to the user which of thefirst display and the second display the first input will be directedto. In an embodiment, the first haptic effect is a vibrotactile effectand the second haptic effect is a friction effect.

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a system thatincludes a first display, a second display, and a controller in signalcommunication with the first display and the second display. Thecontroller is configured to control output of the first display and thesecond display. The system also includes a user interface in signalcommunication with the controller. The user interface includes an inputdevice configured to receive a first input from a user of the system andoutput a control command to the controller to change a setting and/orthe output of the first display or the second display based on the firstinput, and a haptic output device configured to output a haptic effectto the user to confirm receipt of the first input to the user.

In an embodiment, the haptic output device includes an actuator, and thehaptic effect includes vibrotactile feedback. In an embodiment, theactuator includes a piezoelectric actuator, a voice coil, a magneticactuator, a pneumatic actuator, an ultrasonic energy actuator, aneccentric mass actuator, an electroactive polymer actuator, or a shapememory alloy.

In an embodiment, the system also includes a display control selectorconfigured receive a second input from the user to select which of thefirst display and the second display is being controlled by the user. Inan embodiment, the haptic output device is configured to change thehaptic effect based on the determination of which of the first displayand the second display is being controlled by the user.

In an embodiment, the first display includes a display screen and thesecond display comprises a display screen. In an embodiment, the firstdisplay is a heads-up display and the second display comprises a displayscreen.

In an embodiment, the input device includes a touch input device. In anembodiment, the haptic output device includes an electrostatic device,and the haptic effect comprises a friction effect. In an embodiment, thetouch input device includes a touch pad. In an embodiment, the touchinput device includes a touch screen.

In an embodiment, the input device includes a joystick. In anembodiment, the input device includes a rotary knob.

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a motorvehicle that includes embodiments of the system described herein.

These and other aspects, features, and characteristics of the presentinvention, as well as the methods of operation and functions of therelated elements of structure and the combination of parts and economiesof manufacture, will become more apparent upon consideration of thefollowing description and the appended claims with reference to theaccompanying drawings, all of which form a part of this specification.It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for thepurpose of illustration and description only and are not intended as adefinition of the limits of the invention. As used in the specificationand in the claims, the singular form of “a”, “an”, and “the” includeplural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The components of the following Figures are illustrated to emphasize thegeneral principles of the present disclosure and are not necessarilydrawn to scale. Reference characters designating correspondingcomponents are repeated as necessary throughout the Figures for the sakeof consistency and clarity.

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a system in accordance with embodimentsof the invention;

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates an interior of a vehicle that includesthe system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a portion of the system of FIG. 1 thatincludes a controller and a user interface; and

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates an embodiment of the controller ofFIGS. 1-3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a system 100 in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention. As illustrated, the system 100 includes a first display 110,a second display 120, and a third display 130, all of which are insignal communication with a single controller 140. The system 100 alsoincludes a user interface 150 and a display control selector 160, eachof which is in signal communication with the controller 140, asillustrated in FIG. 1. The system 100 may include more or less displaysthan the three displays 110, 120, 130 shown. For example, in anembodiment, the system 100 may only include two displays and in anotherembodiment, the system 100 may include more than three displays. Theillustrated embodiment is not intended to be limiting in any way.

FIG. 2 illustrates the system 100 of FIG. 1 in the context of a vehicle200. As illustrated, the vehicle 200 includes a steering wheel SW thatextends from a dashboard DB, a windshield WS that is located above thedashboard DB, a rearview mirror RVM positioned near a top and center ofthe windshield, a center stack CS in the center of the dashboard, acenter console CC located between two front passenger seats (not shown),and a gear shift GS that extends from the center console CC. As alsoillustrated in FIG. 2, the first display 110 is a heads-up display thatis configured to project images onto the windshield WS in a peripheralvision of a driver of the vehicle 200 when the driver is lookingstraight ahead through the windshield (WS). The second display 120 is aninstrument panel located in the dashboard DB behind the steering wheelSW relative to the position of the driver. The second display 120 may beconfigured to display information with respect to the speed of thevehicle, an odometer, engine conditions of the vehicle, such as coolanttemperature, fuel level, exterior environmental conditions, such astemperature, etc. The third display 130 is located in the center stackCS and may be configured to display maps as part of a global positioningsystem (“GPS”), as well as information with respect to a stereo system(not shown) in the vehicle, such as the radio station being listened toor song currently being played on the stereo system, etc. Otherinformation with respect to the vehicle, such as temperature settingsfor the interior of the vehicle, etc., may also be displayed by thethird display 130 in the center stack CS. Although the controller 140 isillustrated as being located in the center stack CS, the controller 140may be located anywhere in the vehicle 200. The illustrated embodimentis not intended to be limiting in any way. Details of the controller 140are described in further detail below.

As also illustrated in FIG. 2, the user interface 150 is located in thecenter console CC near the gear shift GS. The user interface 150 may belocated in another location that is still convenient for the user tomanipulate without having to be distracted from driving the vehicle 200.For example, the user interface 150 should be located at a position thatis easy for the driver to reach without having to stretch. In anembodiment, the user interface 150 or a portion of the user interface150 may be located on the steering wheel SW, the dash board DB, thecenter stack CS, the driver's door, the driver's seat, etc. Theillustrated embodiment is not intended to be limiting in any way. Theuser interface 150 includes at least one user input device 152 and isdiscussed in further detail below.

Although the display control selector 160 is illustrated in FIG. 2 asbeing located in the dash board DB, the display control selector 160 maybe located at any location within the vehicle 200 that allows the userto provide an input that sends a signal to the controller to signifywhich display the user would like to control through the user inputdevice 152. For example, the display control selector 160 may be part ofthe user interface 150 located in the center console CC or may belocated on the steering wheel SW. The illustrated embodiment is notintended to be limiting in any way.

In an embodiment, the display control selector 160 may be in the form ofa mechanical button, rotary dial, slider switch, or any other physicalelement that the user may physical engage to change which of thedisplays 110, 120, 130 is being controlled via the user input device152. In an embodiment, the display control selector 160 may beconfigured to receive voice commands from the user. For example, thedisplay control selector 160 may include a microphone that receives avoice command from the user and communicates a voice command signal to aprocessor, which may be part of the controller 140. The voice commandsignal may be converted to a command for the controller 140 tocommunicate to one of the displays 110, 120, 130 and/or to the userinterface 150. For example, the user may command the controller 140 toswitch active control from one display to another display so that theuser may use the user interface 150 to change a setting of one of thedisplays 110, 120, 130 that was not currently under active control.

In an embodiment, the display control selector 160 may be configured todetect an eye gaze of the driver of the vehicle 200 and may include anydetection means that are used to detect eye gaze. For example, thedisplay control selector 160 may include an eye gaze detector configuredto detect an eye gaze of the may include a camera configured to capturean image of an eye of the driver of the vehicle 200 and a processorconfigured to determine the direction of the eye gaze based on the imagecaptured by the camera. In an embodiment, the processor may be part ofthe controller 140. Image processing techniques to determine eye gazedirection and are well known in the literature and therefore are notdescribed herein.

In an embodiment, the display control selector 160 may include a sensorthat is configured to monitor movements of muscles near the eye of thedriver of the vehicle 200 and a processor configured to determine thedirection of the eye gaze based on the monitored movement. In anembodiment, the sensor may be configured to measure electrical activityof the muscles moving the eyes. In an embodiment, the processor may bepart of the controller 140. In an embodiment, the driver's eye gazedirection may be estimated by analyzing the driver's body or headposture.

In an embodiment, the display control selector 160 may also beconfigured to determine where the driver's current eye gaze direction isfocused, such as at the first display 110, as indicated by EGA, or atthe third display 130, as indicated by EGB. This may be accomplished byusing image processing .techniques to determine the position and theshape of the iris of a driver's eye, in combination with a model orstored reference image of the iris. In an embodiment, the driver's eyegaze direction may be stored as pitch and yaw angles for each eye. Withthis information, the depth of field of the driver's current gaze mayalso be determined. In an embodiment, other sensors may be used inaddition to the display control selector 160 to better determine thedriver's intent or volition, such as sensors that are typicallyassociated with functional magnetic resonance imaging (“fMRI”) orelectro-encephalogram (“EEG”).

Other smart context awareness solutions may allow the user interface 150to control the desired display 110, 120, 130, as discussed in furtherdetail below. The embodiments described herein should not be consideredto be limiting in any way.

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of the user interface 150 in furtherdetail. As illustrated, the user interface 150 may be interconnected tothe controller 140 via a bus 310 such that the user interface 150 is insignal communication with the controller 140. The bus 310 may includewired communication links, wireless communication links, and/or othercommunication links between the controller 140 and the user interface150. Signals may be output by the user interface 150 to the controller140 and signals may be output by the controller 140 to the userinterface 150. The user interface 150 includes at least one user inputdevice 152 configured to receive an input from the user of the system100. In an embodiment, the user input device 152 may be in the form of atouch pad that includes a touch sensor 154 configured to sense an inputfrom the user. The touch sensor 154 may be configured to detect gesturesfrom the user, such as tapping, sliding, rubbing, or pressing a surfaceof the touch sensor 154. Several technologies may be used for thispurpose, such as capacitive or resistive sensing, force-sensitiveresistors, or optical switches, for example. In an embodiment, the touchsensor 154 may be part of the display control selector 160 and specificgestures provided by the user to the touch sensor 154, such as aone-finger, two-finger, or three-finger swipe, depending on whether thefirst display 110, second display 120, or third display 130,respectively, is to be controlled.

In an embodiment, the user input device 152 may include a display 155 incombination with the touch sensor 154, such as in the form of a touchscreen. In an embodiment, the user interface 150 may optionally includea display 155 that is configured to provide a visual signal to the user.In an embodiment, the touch sensor 154 and the display 155 may becombined into a touch screen. The user interface 150 may include anaudio output device, such as a speaker, that is configured to provideaudio feedback to the driver. The speaker may be part of the userinterface 150 or part of the sound system of the vehicle 200.

In an embodiment, the user input device 152 may include a rotary knob156 or a joystick 157 that may be manipulated by the user in order forthe user to provide input to the system 100. Rotary knobs and joysticksare currently used as user input devices in a variety of vehicles andimplementations of such devices are known to one of ordinary skill inthe art. Therefore, details of such input devices are not providedherein.

The user interface 150 also includes a haptic output device 158configured to provide a haptic effect or feedback to the user asconfirmation that the input was received and/or to provide guidance tothe user when performing a function with respect to one of the displays110, 120, 130. The haptic feedback may be created with any method ofcreating a haptic effect, such as vibration, deformation, kinestheticsensations, electrostatic or ultrasonic friction, etc. The haptic outputdevice 158 may include one or more actuators, driving circuitry, and ahaptic engine configured to generate driving signals for theactuator(s). The haptic output device 158 may use a variety of surfacehaptic technologies such as friction displays, vibrotactile actuators,and/or electrotactile arrays, etc.

For example, in an embodiment, the haptic output device 158 may includean actuator, for example, an electromagnetic actuator such as anEccentric Rotating Mass (“ERM”) in which an eccentric mass is moved by amotor, a Linear Resonant Actuator (“LRA”) in which a mass attached to aspring is driven back and forth, or a “smart material” such aspiezoelectric materials, electro-active polymers or shape memory alloys,a macro-composite fiber actuator, an electro-static actuator, anelectro-tactile actuator, and/or another type of actuator that providesa physical feedback such as a haptic (e.g., vibrotactile) feedback. Thehaptic output device 158 may include non-mechanical or non-vibratorydevices such as those that use electrostatic friction (“ESF”),ultrasonic surface friction (“USF”), or those that induce acousticradiation pressure with an ultrasonic haptic transducer, or those thatuse a haptic substrate and a flexible or deformable surface, or thosethat provide projected haptic output such as a puff of air using an airjet, and so on. Such implementations of haptic output devices are knownto one of ordinary skill in the art and therefore are not discussed infurther detail herein.

The haptic output device 156 may be integrated with the touch sensor 154or be separate from the touch sensor 154. In an embodiment, the touchsensor 154 may also be configured to support the rendering of hapticeffects by the haptic output device 158, such as the modulation offriction effects as a finger slides against the touch sensor 158. In anembodiment, multiple haptic output devices may be used to generatedifferent haptic effects.

In an embodiment, the haptic output device 158 is configured to providehaptic feedback to the user of the system 100 while the user is incontact with a least a portion of the system 100. For example, thehaptic output device 158 may provide haptic feedback to the userinterface 150 itself to impose a haptic effect when the user is incontact with the user interface 150 and/or to another part of the system100, such as the steering wheel SW and/or the driver's seat when thesystem 100 is implemented in the vehicle 200.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, a memory device 320 may also be interconnectedwith the controller 140 and to the user interface 150 via the bus 310.The memory device 320 may include one or more internally fixed storageunits, removable storage units, and/or remotely accessible storageunits. The various storage units may include any combination of volatilememory and non-volatile memory. The storage units may be configured tostore any combination of information, data, instructions, software code,etc. More particularly, the storage devices may include haptic effectprofiles, instructions for how the haptic output device 158 of the userinterface 150 is to be driven, or other information for generatinghaptic effects.

In addition to the user interface 150, the system 100 may also includeadditional input devices and output devices. For example, additionaluser input devices 152 may be located on the steering wheel SW, the dashboard DB, the center stack CS, the center console CC, and/or a door orseat of the vehicle 200. Additional output devices, such as additionalhaptic output devices 158, may be provided in, for example, the steeringwheel SW and/or driver's seat of the vehicle.

The controller 140 may be a general-purpose or specific-purposeprocessor or microcontroller for managing or controlling the operationsand functions of the system 100. For example, the controller 140 may bespecifically designed as an application-specific integrated circuit(“ASIC”) to control output signals to the displays 110, 120, 130 toprovide visual information and to the haptic output device 158 toprovide haptic effects. The controller 140 may be configured todetermine, based on predefined factors, the type(s) of haptic effect(s)to be generated, the order in which the haptic effects are generated,and the magnitude, frequency, duration, and/or other parameters of thehaptic effects. The controller 140 may also be configured to providestreaming commands that can be used to drive the haptic output device158 for providing a particular haptic effect. In some embodiments, thecontroller 140 may actually include a plurality of processors, eachconfigured to perform certain functions within the system 100.

FIG. 4 illustrates a more detailed view of an embodiment of thecontroller 140. The controller 140 may be configured to execute one ormore computer program modules. The one or more computer program modulesmay include one or more of a content provision module 142, a displaycontrol determination module 144, a haptic effect determination module146, a haptic output device control module 148, and/or other modules.The controller 140 may be configured to execute the modules 142, 144,146, and/or 148 by software, hardware, firmware, some combination ofsoftware, hardware, and/or firmware, and/or other mechanisms forconfiguring processing capabilities on the controller 140.

It should be appreciated that although modules 142, 144, 146, and 148are illustrated in FIG. 4 as being co-located within a single processingunit, in embodiments in which the controller 140 includes multipleprocessing units, one or more of modules 142, 144, 146, and/or 148 maybe located remotely from the other modules. For example, the displaycontrol determination module 144 may reside in the processor of thedisplay control selector 160 described above. The description of thefunctionality provided by the different modules 142, 144, 146, and/or148 described below is for illustrative purposes, and is not intended tobe limiting, as any of the modules 142, 144, 146, and/or 148 may providemore or less functionality than is described. For example, one or moreof the modules 142, 144, 146, and/or 148 may be eliminated, and some orall of its functionality may be provided by other ones of the modules142, 144, 146, and/or 148. As another example, the controller 140 may beconfigured to execute one or more additional modules that may performsome or all of the functionality attributed below to one of the modules142, 144, 146, and/or 148.

The content provision module 142 is configured to control the provisionof content to the user of the system 100 via the first display 110, thesecond display 120, and the third display 130. If the content includescomputer generated images, the content provision module 142 isconfigured to generate the images and/or views for display to the userthrough the displays 110, 120, 130. The content, or information fromwhich the content is derived, may be obtained by the content provisionmodule 142 from an electronic storage 149, which may be part of thecontroller 140, as illustrated in FIG. 4, or may be separate from thecontroller 140, such as part of the memory device 320 illustrated inFIG. 3.

The display control determination module 144 is configured to determinewhich display the user is controlling or is about to control based oninformation from the output signals generated by the display controlselector 160. For example, in an embodiment in which the display controlselector 160 is an eye gaze detector, the information related todirection of the user's eye gaze determined by the display controldetermination module 144 may describe the direction as a vector in anabsolute coordinate system, with respect to other objects, and/or inother contexts. Such information may include, without limitation,coordinates and/or angular relationships, such as pitch and yaw angles,as described above. If it is determined that the user is gazing in thedirection of the second display 120, the display control determinationmodule 144 may output a signal that switches the user input device 152to control the second display 120 so that the next input by the userwill be directed to the second display 120.

In an embodiment, the display control determination module 144 may usethe output from the content provision module 142 in order to determinewhich display 110, 120, 130 the user is likely to direct the next inputto based on the content of what is being displayed by the displays 110,120, 130. For example, if the first display 110 is a heads up displaythat is displaying the next step in a currently selected navigationroute as well as an alternative route, the display control determinationmodule 144 may use the context of what is being displayed (i.e. a choiceof two routes) to determine that the next input provided by the userthrough the user input device 152 is most likely intended for the firstdisplay 110 and output a signal that switches the user input device 152to control the first display 110 so that the next input by the user willbe directed to the first display 110.

The haptic effect determination module 146 is configured to determinethe haptic effect or sensation to be generated by the haptic outputdevice 158 and output to the user of the system 100. For example, thehaptic effect may be based on information received from the displaycontrol selector 160 and any other sensor that is configured todetermine the user's intent or volition, as described above, withrespect to which of the displays 110, 120, 130 to control with the userinput device 152. Determining the haptic effect may include determiningthe type of haptic effect and one or more parameters of the hapticeffect, such as amplitude, frequency, duration, etc.

For example, one type of haptic effect that is determined by the hapticeffect determination module 146 may provide the user with confirmationof an input provided by the user to the system 100. Such a haptic effectmay be a vibrotactile effect that is generated with, for example, anactuator described above. Another type of haptic effect that isdetermined by the haptic effect determination module 146 may provide theuser with information on which of the displays 110, 120, 130 iscurrently under active control by the controller 140 so that the usermay change a setting of one of the displays 110, 120, 130 and or theinformation being displayed by one of the displays 110, 120, 130. Such ahaptic effect may be a friction effect that is generated as the userslides a finger across a touch pad that includes the touch sensor 154and the haptic output device 158.

In an embodiment, different haptic effect themes may be associated withthe different displays 110, 120, 130 and designed to indicate orreinforce which of the displays 110, 120, 130 is currently beingcontrolled by the user through the user input device 152. The hapticeffect that is determined by the haptic effect determination module 146may also assist the user with making adjustments to one or more settingsassociated with the information being displayed by one of the displays110, 120, 130. For example, the haptic effect may increase in amplitudeand/or frequency as the user is increasing a setting. Another type ofhaptic effect that is determined by the haptic effect determinationmodule 146 may provide the user with confirmation that control of one ofthe displays 110, 120, 130 via the user input device 152 has beentransitioned to another of the displays 110, 120, 130.

The haptic output device control module 148 is configured to control thehaptic output device 158 to generate the haptic effect determined byhaptic effect determination module 146. This includes communicating ahaptic output signal generated by the controller 140 to the hapticoutput device 158 via the bus 310. In an embodiment, at least a portionof the functionality attributed to the haptic output device controlmodule 148 may be disposed in a processor carried by the haptic outputdevice 158.

In accordance with embodiments of the invention, the haptic effects thatare output by the haptic output device 158 of the system 100 may beprovided as confirmation that an input that was provided by the user tothe user input device 152 has been received and an associated actionwill be implemented by the controller 140. Such a haptic effect mayinclude a single pulse or series of pulses that is/are felt by the useras a vibration or vibrations.

In accordance with embodiments of the invention, the haptic effects thatare output by the haptic output device 158 of the system 100 may includetransitions as the user moves from one of the displays 110, 120, 130 toanother display 110, 120, 130. For example, the controller 140 may becurrently controlling the output of the third display 130 and any inputprovided by the user is directed to a setting or information beingoutput by the third display 130. When the user decides to switch thecontrol to another display, such as the second display 120, andindicates such a change with the display control selector 160, thehaptic output device 158 may generate vibrations in the user's seat, forexample, that may be used to play a transition effect so the user knowshe or she is now controlling the second display 120 with the user inputdevice 152.

In accordance with embodiments of the invention, the haptic effects thatare output by the haptic output device 158 at the user input device 152may be associated with a theme for one of the displays 110, 120, 130 togive the user confidence that he or she is now controlling the displaythat is intended to be controlled. For example, if the user is currentlycontrolling the third display 130 with the user input device 152 andthen indicates via the display control selector 160 that he or she wouldlike to control the second display 120 instead, the haptic effects thatare output by the haptic output device 158 may be distinctly differentwhen the control is switched to the second display 120 so that the userknows that control was successfully switched and he or she is nowcontrolling the second display 120. If for some reason the displaycontrol selector 160 did not receive the user's input to change controlfrom the third display 130 to the second display 120 or does notcommunicate to the controller 140 that the user has indicated his or herdesire to control the second display 120 instead of the third display130, the haptic output device 158 may continue to output haptic effectsthat are associated with a theme for the third display 130 so that theuser will know he or she is still controlling the third display 130.

In an embodiment, the system 100 may include one main display and asecondary display that is used less than the main display. The system100 may be configured so that when the user has transitioned to thesecondary display, a background vibration may be played on the userinput device 152, such as a touch pad that is integrated with the hapticoutput device 158, to inform the user that the user is now providinginput for the secondary display. When the user returns to the touch padlater and no longer feels the background vibration, he or she wouldimmediately know that he or she has returned to controlling the maindisplay with the user input device 152.

Other implementations, features and advantages of such implementationsof the invention will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the artupon reading and understanding the general principles of the presentdisclosure. These other implementations, features and advantages areintended to be included in the present disclosure as well.

The embodiments described herein represent a number of possibleimplementations and examples and are not intended to necessarily limitthe present disclosure to any specific embodiments. Instead, variousmodifications can be made to these embodiments as would be understood byone of ordinary skill in the art. Any such modifications are intended tobe included within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure andprotected by the following claims.

1. A method for controlling multiple displays of a motor vehiclecomprising: displaying information via a first display; displayinginformation via a second display; controlling the respective informationdisplayed via the first display and the second display with acontroller; receiving a first input from a user through a user interfacein signal communication with the controller, the first input comprisingone of a command to change a setting of the first display and/or tochange the information being displayed via the first display, and acommand to change a setting of the second display and/or to change theinformation being displayed via the second display; and generating afirst haptic effect via a haptic output device in signal communicationwith the controller to confirm receipt of the first input.
 2. The methodaccording to claim 1, further comprising: receiving a second input fromthe user through a display control selector in signal communication withthe controller to select which of the first display and the seconddisplay is being controlled by the user; and associating the first inputreceived from the user through the user interface with the first displayor the second display selected by the user through the display controlselector.
 3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:changing the first haptic effect based on the selection of which of thefirst display and the second display is being controlled by the user. 4.The method according to claim 1, further comprising: generating a secondhaptic effect via the haptic output device at the user interface priorto receiving the first input, the second haptic effect providing anindication to the user which of the first display and the second displayis under active control by the controller so that the user is informedas to which of the first display and the second display the first inputwill be directed.
 5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the firsthaptic effect is a vibrotactile effect and the second haptic effect is afriction effect. 6-19. (canceled)
 20. A system for a motor vehiclecomprising: a first display; a second display; a controller in signalcommunication with the first display and the second display, thecontroller being configured to control an output of the first displayand an output of the second display; a user input device in signalcommunication with the controller, the user input device configured toreceive a first input from a user of the system and to output a controlcommand to the controller to change a setting and/or the output of thefirst display or the output of the second display based on the firstinput; a display control selector in signal communication with thecontroller configured to receive a second input from the user to selectwhich of the first display and the second display is being controlled bythe user; and a haptic output device in signal communication with thecontroller, the haptic output device being configured to receive ahaptic output signal generated by the controller and to output a firsthaptic effect to the user to confirm receipt of the first input from theuser, and being configured to change the first haptic effect based on adetermination of which of the first display and the second display isbeing controlled by the user.
 21. The system of claim 20, wherein thefirst display comprises a display screen that is located on one of adashboard and a center stack of the motor vehicle.
 22. The system ofclaim 21, wherein the second display comprises a display screen that islocated on the other of the dashboard and the center stack of the motorvehicle.
 23. The system of claim 21, wherein the second display is aheads-up display that is configured to project images onto a windshieldof the motor vehicle.
 24. The system of claim 20, wherein the user inputdevice comprises a touch input device.
 25. The system of claim 24,wherein the haptic output device comprises an electrostatic device, andwherein the first haptic effect comprises a friction effect felt on thetouch input device.
 26. The system of claim 25, wherein the touch inputdevice comprises one of a touch pad and a touch screen.
 27. The systemof claim 20, wherein the user input device comprises at least one of ajoystick and a rotary knob.
 28. The system of claim 20, wherein thehaptic output device comprises an actuator, and wherein the first hapticeffect comprises vibrotactile feedback.
 29. The system of claim 28,wherein the actuator is selected from the group consisting of apiezoelectric actuator, a voice coil, a magnetic actuator, a pneumaticactuator, an ultrasonic energy actuator, an eccentric mass actuator, anelectroactive polymer actuator, and a shape memory alloy.
 30. The systemof claim 28, wherein the vibrotactile feedback is provided to the uservia contact with a steering wheel of the motor vehicle.
 31. The systemof claim 28, wherein the vibrotactile feedback is provided to the uservia contact with a driver's seat of the motor vehicle.
 32. The system ofclaim 28, wherein the vibrotactile feedback is provided to the user viacontact with the user input device.
 33. The system of claim 20, whereinthe user input device is located on one of a steering wheel, a dashboard, a center stack, a driver's door and a driver's seat of the motorvehicle.
 34. The system of claim 20, wherein the display controlselector is selected from the group consisting of a mechanical button,rotary dial, and slider switch.